OPINION
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Lauren Justice
Doug La Follette’s abrupt departure leaves questions
Doug La Follette resigned without warning, after just being reelected to yet another four-year term as Wisconsin’s secretary of state last November. He offered no real explanation. Read more
Tommy Washbush
A new Madison
Converting some downtown state office buildings to other uses would be good for the city. What Madison needs more now than at any time since the UW enrollment boom of the 1960s is housing. Read more
Mar 10, 2023
Some good news for civics education
“What is most noticeable to me is that the field of civic education is probably the most organized that it has been in my lifetime,” says Michael Blauw, a former social studies teacher who is now an education consultant. Read more
Mar 9, 2023
Politics be damned
Gov. Tony Earl, who died Feb. on Feb. 23 at age 86, pursued progressive reform despite the political and personal risks. It probably cost him a second term. Read more
Mar 8, 2023
Paid family leave or aid for the Brewers stadium?
In a sane world the Legislature would approve Evers’ paid leave proposal in a heartbeat. Actually, they’d take the $290 million away from the Brewers and double the paid leave program. Read more
Feb 22, 2023
Voting for a longer, better conversation in the mayor’s race
If Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway does well in the primary the conversation will be over. And a mayoral campaign is the one real chance we get every four years to talk about the future of our city. Read more
Feb 15, 2023
The pretense of UW’s Varsity Collective
Badger boosters have started the Varsity Collective to help student athletes reap benefits from their name, image and likeness, but why the pretense? Why not just put together lucrative deals to lure the best players to the UW and be honest about it? Read more
Feb 8, 2023
How sponsorships support Isthmus
Some businesses advertise in Isthmus because it brings customers through their doors. Other businesses support Isthmus because they believe in community journalism and think that good reporting contributes to Madison being a great place to live. Read more
Feb 6, 2023
12:00 PM
Coming to terms with our ancestors’ sins
I have reached a point where I can now celebrate the intersectionality of the aspects of my life that make me unique. But I continue to question whether we have a moral obligation to pay for the sins of our fathers. Read more
Feb 6, 2023
12:00 PM
Tommy Washbush
Coming out flat
The numbers don’t lie; they don’t tell us that a flat tax will help Wisconsin’s economy by any measure. Read more
Jan 31, 2023
8:00 AM
Wisconsin Historical Society
There are good reasons to landmark Madison's Filene House
John Rolling says he nominated Filene House for landmark designation because it “is one of those rare treasures that should be preserved as legacies for the Madison community.” Read more
Jan 27, 2023
10:00 AM
Tommy Washbush
Historic cynicism
Opponents of a proposed large housing project near Tenney Park are trying to block it by securing landmark status for the Filene House, an office building on the site. Read more
Jan 19, 2023
9:00 AM
What I learned from my mom
Bill Lueders' mom died in late December, just a few weeks shy of her 99th birthday. In her final years she was sadly evicted from the senior care facility where she had lived for 10 years. Read more
Jan 18, 2023
2:00 PM
In the paper
The Madison mayor's race is a referendum on the last four years
The results of the February primary for Madison mayor were the most lopsided in two decades. Heading into the April 4 general election, Mayor Rhodes-Conway may be in the strongest position of any incumbent mayor in recent history. Read more
High stakes for high court race
The usual Republican playbook in dealing with liberal contenders is to portray them as criminal-coddling threats to public safety. But that won’t be easy to do with Protasiewicz, who served 25 years as a Milwaukee County prosecutor before being elect Read more
Housing, transit and public safety are top issues in Monona mayor’s race
Whoever wins the Monona mayor’s office will be managing transit issues, big new projects, and a housing crisis, while operating under a state law that makes it tough to raise new revenue. Read more
Some good news for civics education
“What is most noticeable to me is that the field of civic education is probably the most organized that it has been in my lifetime,” says Michael Blauw, a former social studies teacher who is now an education consultant. Read more
The Fharmacy Public House in Lake Mills has 24 taps
What’s on tap at The Fharmacy? Look for flagship brews and rarer vintages. Read more
